Acetylene-gas generator.



No. 643,486. Patented Feb. I3, |900. H. J. ENNIS. ACETVLENE GASGENERATOR.

(Application filed Aug. a, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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(Application filed Aug. 3, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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ITerres HENRY J. ENNIS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TOGEORGE MCGOVERN, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

ACE-TYLENE-GAS G EN ERATO R.

SPECIFATION f orming part of Letters Patent No. 643,486, dated February13, 1900. Application filed August 3, 1899. Serial No. 726,059. (Nomodel.)

T0 all whom; it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY J. ENNIS, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residin g at Washington city, in the District of Columbia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene-GasGenerators; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX-act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it ap# pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a combined acetylene-gas generator and holder;and the obj ect is to provide a simple, inexpensive, reliable, andefficient automatic machine of this character.

To this end the invention consists in the construction, combination, andarrangement of the device, as will be hereinafter more fully described,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the same reference characters indicate thesame parts of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective viewrof my improved combinedacetylene-generator andgasholder. tion. Fig. 3 is a detail sectionalview of the discharge-chute connecting the generatortank and themagazine. Fig. 4 shows in section a modification of the ash dischargevalves.

1 designates a cylindrical tank, open at the top and formed with aconical bottom 2, terminating in a discharge-pipe 3, in which is mounteda horizontal duplex valve 4, consisting of the parallel plates 4' and42, provided with the non-alined oriiices 6 and 7, the orifice 6 beingalined with the pipe 3 when the valve proper is closed, as shown in Fig.2, whileL the orifice 7 extends beyond the pipe, as shown, and when thevalve is open or drawn out the orifice 7 is alined with the pipe, whilethe plate 4 cuts off communication between the tank and the lowerportion of the pipe.

8 denotes a receptacle which is inserted and removed through the orifice7 in the plate 42 and when in use rests upon the plate, as shown. Thisvessel 8 may be used to receive the spent carbid or ash, or it may beused to Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sec-- receive a charge of activecarbid and then in-l serted in the pipe and the valve 4 pushed in,- asshown in Fig. 2, to permit the water in the tank to have access to thecarbid, and thus generate the acetylene gas.

9 designates a horizontal diaphragm rigidly fixed in the tank 1, and 10denotes a tubular standard,`having its lower open end fixed in saiddiaphragm and opening into the generator-chamber 11, and it is furthersupported in its vertical position by an annular conical collar 12,connecting or bracing it with said diaphragm.

13 denotes a vertical inlet-pipe for filling the generator-chamber 11with water, and this also acts as a safety relief-pipe to furnish anoutlet should there at any time be an excess of pressure in either thegenerator or holder.

14 denotes the funnel-shaped spout for iilling the seal-chamber of thetankv 1, and 15 denotes the gas-holder, which forms a water seal betweenthe tank 1 and the concentric cylinder 16, fixed to the diaphragm 9.This gas holder or bell 15 has a. sliding engagement with the tubularstandard 10, a gastight joint being formed by the stuffing-box andpacking-gland 17.

18 denotes an outlet-orifice in the tubular standard, above which is asolid partition 19, and above this a second orifice 20 to permit the gasto reenter the upper end 10 of the tubular standard, from which, throughthe regulating-valve 21, it is conducted through the service-pipe 22 tothe point of consumption. The inlet-orifice 20 is surrounded by-areticulated wire cage 23, in which is packed an absorbent-cotton orother suitable medium for drying and filtering the gas as it leaves theholder on its way to the point of consumption.

It will be noted thatthe inner face of the top of the gas-holder isconcave, so that any water of condensation which may accumulate thereonwill be conducted to the sides and into the water-tank 1.

24 denotes a cylindrical magazine fixed to the outside of the tank 1,and it is provided with a discharge-chute 25, which opens into thegenerator-chamber 11 below the waterline, as shown in Fig. 2, the waterin the gen- IOO erator-chamber arising a sufficient distance in thechute to form a water seal between the magazine and generator-chamber.25 denotes a series of spring knife-points fixed in the bottom of thechute and across the path of the carbid charge.

26 denotes an axial shaft journaled in the magazine, and on it is fixeda drum 27, formed with a series of transverse peripheral pockets 28 toreceive the carbid charges 29, which are conveniently inserted throughthe open side of the magazine.

30 denotes a ratchet-wheel fixed on one end of the shaft 26, and 31denotes a radial lever loosely mounted on the same end of said shaft,and it carries a spring-actuated pawl 32, engaging the ratchet-wheel,and its outer end is pivoted to a vertical rod 33, having a slidingengagement with the guide-brackets 34 34 and the friction-spring 35,fixed to the tank 1.

36 denotes a lateral arm fixed to the top of the gas-holder and looselyencompassing the rod 33, so as to play freely between the collars 37 and3S, adjustably secured to the rod 33 by thumb-screws 39, as shown.

One manner of operating the machine is to prepare the charges of calciccarbid by sealing theln in a thin waterproof envelop, preferably made ofparaffin or wax paper, to prevent slakiug, and these cartridges arepreferably made in a cylindrical shape and of a predetermined size tocorrespond to the capacity of the machine. These cartridges are thencharged into the drum 27, and the ratchetwheel is rotated by hand untilthe first cartridge drops from the drum and passes through the chute 25into the generatorchamber, where it rolls down the conical bottom andpasses through the valve-opening 6 and falls into the vessel 8, placedthere to receive it. In its passage through the chute it comes intocontact with the knife-points 25, which project a sufficient distanceinto its path to rupture its envelop, and thus permit the water to haveaccess to the contents and generate the gas. Should the envelop bepunctured ever so slightly, the water having access to the carbid withinwill generate the gas and complete the rupture.

In some instances it may be desirable to close up the magazine andrender it air-tight with a door or hand-hole and plate, which also makesan air-tight joint with the magazine, so that the pockets 28 may befilled with charges of the loose carbid, the drum fitting snugly in thecylindrical magazine to retain the loose carbid in thepockets until theycome in line with the mouth of the chute, whence the charge falls bygravit-y into the generator, as in the first instance.

The gas forming in the generator is first washed and cooled as it risesthrough the water in the generator-chamber 1l and as it comes in contactwith the bottom face of the diaphragm 9 parts with a part of itsmoisture and passes up through the tubular standard 10 and escapesthrough the outlet 18 into the gas-holder, forcing the air containedtherein out into the atmosphere through the petcock a, and as soon asthe pure acetylene escapes at this point, which may be ascertained byigniting it, the cock a is closed and the gas allowed to accumulate inthe holder, which rises under the gas-pressure,the upward movement ofthe holder being limited by the collar Z), fixed in the standard 10.

The size of the carbid-cartridge is such that the gas generated by itwill fill the cylinder 16 and holder 15. When the latter is raised toits limit and should the generation of gas continue after this point hasbeen reached,no particular harm will result, as the excess will escapethrough the relief-pipe 13.

When the gas is wanted for consumption, the valve 2l is opened and thegas in the holder passes through the packing medium in the cage 23 topurify and dry it, and the thus dried and purified gas passes throughthe upper portion 10' of the tubular standard to the burners.

rlhe gas holder or bell 15 in rising carries with it the arm 3G, which,coming in contact with the collar 37, raises the rod 33 and lever 31,causing the pawl 32 to slip backward over the ratchet-wheel 30 withoutmoving the drum 27, but as the gas in the holder or bell is consumed thelatter falls and the arm 3G coming in contact with the collar 3S forcesthe rod 33 and lever 31 down, the pawl 32 engaging the ratchet-wheel androtating the drum to carry one of its-pockets into line with the mouthof the chute 25, and thereby drop a cartridge into the generator andreplenish the supply of gas.

Should it be desirable for any reason to dis'- pense with the automaticfeature for the continuous generation of the gas, the collars 37 and 38may be moved out of the path of the arm 3G and the generator charged byfilling the vessel 8 and replacing it through the me dium of the duplexvalve 4.

In Fig. 4 I have dispensed with the duplex valve 4 and in lieu thereofprovided the pipe 3 with two single gate-valves 43 and 4, the formerbeing closed and the latter opened when the vessel 8 is being removed orreplaced, and, vice versa, when the said vessel is in place the valve4u1 is closed and the valve 43 opened.

When the automatically-operated magazine is in use, the vessel 8 is notessential, as the carbid will fall through the upper open valve and restupon the lower closed one, and when exhausted may be convenientlyremoved by first closing the upper valve and opening the lower one, sothat the ash, residue, or slaked carbid and water contained between thetwo valves will be flushed out.

It will be noted that the magazine can bc replenished or, if it is notin use, the vessel 8 may be recharged and in either case the ICO IIO

residue or exhausted carbid removed without affecting the lights or inany way interfering with the supply of gas in the holder.

Should the magazine be exhausted and the holder down to its limit, awarning of this condition will be given by the gradual dimming of thelights, in which event I provide an emergency-valve B, located in thelower end of the inner cylinder 16, with its stem eX- tending throughthe tank 1, and by opening this Valve B the water in the tank 1 willpass into the cylinder 16 and force the gas out to the service-pipewhile the generator is being recharged. A similar valve (not shown) islocated in the diaphragm 9 to permit the water to pass into thegenerator-chamber 11, there being no danger of an overiiow, as the mouthof the iillingtube 13 regulates the amount or level of the water in thegenerator.

The accompanying drawings show my acetylene-gas machine inthe best formnow known to me; but many changes may be made in the details within theskill of a good mechanic without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new anduseful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In combination, the stationary tank formed with the conical bottomand dischargepipe, the duplex valve mounted in the discharge-pipe, thehorizontal diaphragm, the tubular standard 10, arising from saidstandard and formed with the orifices 18 and 20, the partition 19intermediate said orifices and the holder 15 having a sliding engagementwith said standard,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination, the stationary tank, formed with the conical bottom,the diaphragm 9, the tubular standard fixed in said diaphragm, andprovided with the orices 18 and 20, the partition 19 fixed intermediatesaid orifices, the wire cage surrounding the orifice 20 and a suitableabsorbent material packed within said cage, and the holder having asliding engagement with said standard, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

3. In combination, the stationary tank formed with the conical bottomterminating in the valved discharge-pipe, the diaphragm 9, the magazinecommunicating with the tank beneath the diaphragm, the tubular standardfixed in the diaphragm and opening into the space beneath the diaphragmand provided with the oriiices 18 and 20, the partition 19 xed in thetubular standard between said orifices, the holder having a slidingengagement with the standard, the pocketed drum 27 mounted in themagazine and means for rotating said drum through the medium of saidholder, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HENRY J. ENNIS.

Witnesses:

WM. H. ENNIS, EMMA M. GILLETT.

